Chronicle of a Wedding
by Megumi Sagara
Summary: AU. Sanosuke and Megumi are getting married. Their feelings, their doubts, flashbacks of their relationship... all mixes in their minds as they get ready for the longest day in their lives.
1. Default Chapter

This fanfic is a response to Princess Destiny's Wedding Challenge at the OHC ML and Sano/Megumi ML:****Write a romantic Fanfic about your 'Couple' getting married. So, here we have Sanosuke and Megumi trying to survive the longest day of their lives. I hope you like it.

Thank you very much to Maria Tolentino-Goldstein for beta-reading my fanfiction.

"..." dialogue

'...' thoughts

888 separating scenes

ooooooo flashbacks

Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin belongs to Watsuki Nobuhiro, I just own the plot of this story... snif

**__**

CHRONICLE OF A WEDDING

Chapter 1

Megumi sipped her black coffee as she watched the sunrise through the window of her bedroom, ignoring the fuss her mother and friends were making behind her. Still, as hard as she tried to concentrate on the changing colours that tinted the sky, she could hear them walking from one corner of the room to the other, laughing and chatting excitedly. She frowned. She could not understand the reason why every time a wedding was mentioned in front of a woman she became a fifteen-year-old giggling mass of nerves, something that had never happened to her before. So the commotion taking place behind her was incomprehensible. It was not as if they were the ones getting married that day.

"Hurry up and finish your breakfast, Megumi," called her mother before going out of the room muttering about checking on the men of the house.

"What time do you have to be at the city office?" asked Kaoru as she put her small case if make-up on the dresser.

"Ten," she answered in an annoyed manner.

"Then we'll have to hurry. There's so much to do and so little time..."

The long-haired woman did not move from her position, so nobody could see the ironic smile that crossed her lips for a second. Time? She had plenty of that to deal with the rush, the clothes, the tugs at her black tresses and six hysteric females... Okay, five females and one cross-dresser, but hysterical anyway. And the worst thing was that she had to suffer all of that twice, in the morning for the civil wedding and in the afternoon for the religious ceremony and the celebration. She doubted her sanity would be intact when the day came to an end.

"Megumi, are you still nibbling on that toast? You should be bathing at this hour," said Kamatari looking at his watch. "What's wrong, dear?" he asked, seeing her absent expression. "Last minute doubts?" A sudden silence filled the room and four more pairs of eyes laid on her. "I've heard about them, but if you're thinking about dumping your fiancé, don't wait till the hour of the wedding. It's considered bad taste, you know..."

Megumi squirmed uncomfortably under the stares the others were giving her and her gaze turned back to the window. For a moment, she considered telling them what was in her head, but as her lips parted to utter the first word, she repented and breathed silently before closing them again.

"It's not that. I just..." she paused, reflecting on the next words and then smiled softly. "I like sunrises."

There was a collective sigh of relief and the enthusiastic voices filled the room again. The sun came up fully, shining brightly, warming her body and giving her maroon eyes a golden spark. She barely had time to finish eating before her mother came back with her clothes for the morning in a plastic cover with a wide grin plastered on her face, which told Megumi everything was going as planned, and she became the centre of attention, giving orders to the younger ones. Her friends tugged at her sleeves and she let them and their happiness surround her and drag her to the bathroom with a content smile. After all, she was getting married that day.

888

Megumi closed her eyes, feeling the drops of water from the shower falling on her skin and her expression became wistful, thinking about Kamatari's words in the room. Of course she was having doubts, her head was full of questions and her heart of fears. What if their married life was not what they expected? What if they could not be happy? They fought too much, argued over the smallest thing, and though reconciliations were always sweet, the ghost of one more quarrel hung over their relationship like a sword, waiting to strike a final blow that would tear them apart. She knew she loved him deeply, but sometimes that was not enough. They could get tired of fighting one day and find out that that routine had killed what had been between them.

She shook her head and sighed. She did not know why she was thinking that way on what was supposed to be the happiest day in her life. She had had plenty of time since the proposal to call off the wedding. In fact, they had done it twice after the most violent arguments they had ever had, both of them for petty details. But after a few days swearing they would not be together again during the day, and remembering their moments together at night, they had irresistibly come back to each other feeling as if they had found the part which was missing inside them.

She smiled when an image of him, with his cheeky grin and twinkling eyes crossed her mind. She had never imagined she would end up with a man like him, the total opposite of what she considered her perfect match. That had been her first impression upon seeing him for the first time.

They had met one summer afternoon, when she was having a walk along the sea front. Her best friend, Komagata Yumi, had insisted on introducing her to her boyfriend and finally, after delaying the date for their work engagements, they had agreed on that day. She had sensed that that time Yumi was serious and the man, called Makoto Shishio, cared deeply for her. She could see it in his eyes, in the possessive way he held her shoulders. And she was happy for them. Her friend had been quite unlucky in her past relationships, and after an abusive marriage and a difficult divorce, she had rejected every single man who wanted to get close to her until that fiery, proud man with red eyes and long hair tied in a high ponytail. At the beginning his appearance had taken Megumi slightly aback, sometimes his expression was hard and his smile cold, but his behaviour was polite and he was extremely intelligent, and soon she felt comfortable in his presence, as the three spoke of their ideas about economics and the state of the country.

And in their way had crossed one of Shishio's partners in the company he worked for, Anji Yukyuuzan, accompanied by a tall man with dark, spiky hair, brown eyes and a charming smile which had no effect on her.

ooooooo

"This is my friend Sagara Sanosuke," Anji introduced him to them after Shishio had done it with the women beside him.

As she turned to Yumi to speak, while her best friend's boyfriend and his co-worker exchanged a few comments about some business, she could feel the newcomer side-glancing at her. He was observing her as he pretended to gaze at the sea, and for some reason she did not understand, she felt uncomfortable. She was used to being ogled by men, young and old, their gazes following her until she was lost from view. Their eyes were filled with lust, sometimes mixed with admiration, but the first was always there, telling her exactly what they were thinking. And maybe that was what she found irritating, not knowing how he saw her in his mind.

'Well, two can play this game,' she thought before imitating his actions.

Megumi kept on listening to what Yumi was telling her about the new fashion collection she thought of bringing out at the end of the season and, discreetly, watched his every movement.

He was well built, she could tell by the width of his shoulders, but his physique was proportionate to his height. He was wearing a white sleeveless T-shirt with a small surfer over the slogan 'To The Limit' printed on it, dark green Bermuda shorts and trainers. Around his neck, she could see a black cord with a silver fleur-de-lis hanging from it. He had his hands in his pockets, which gave him a carefree appearance.

He was attractive, she could not deny it, but not her type.

Their eyes met and he smirked roguishly, knowing he had caught her attention. She held her gaze defiantly and he was surprised she had not blushed and looked away, like most of the girls did when he took an interest on them. When the last words were said between Anji and Shishio, their link broke by mutual, silent agreement and the groups bid farewell. None of them looked back.

"What's going on in there?" asked Yumi a few seconds later, after sending her boyfriend to buy them some ice cream.

Megumi looked at her questioningly, but when she saw her sparkling eyes, she realized that she had noticed the exchange of looks between Sanosuke and her, and she feigned ignorance.

"I don't know what you mean."

"Oh, you know it well," her friend said with a mischievous smile. "I have to say that the man was pretty handsome."

"He was not," she glared at Yumi. "He was just an annoying boy with a cocky smile and an attitude problem."

"Do you like him? Because I could get his phone number for you... I have connections, you know..." she pressed, glancing over at Shishio with a smirk.

"I don't."

"Are you sure? You'll lose the opportunity."

"I just don't, okay?" she replied, stressing every word.

Yumi was going to insist when her boyfriend approached them with three tubs on his hands. Her eyes gleamed, promising her she would not forget the issue and Megumi sighed, hoping for the opposite.

ooooooo

Megumi was startled when somebody knocked on the door and she closed the tap, running a hand across her eyes to wipe the water on her face.

"Yes?"

"Kamatari says if you're thinking of becoming a shrivelling prune, Sanosuke won't be pleased to have one in his bed tonight."

She groaned upon hearing this as a soft blush spread across her cheeks. Trust young, spontaneous and very pregnant Misao to deliver a message exactly as she heard it.

"I'm coming," she replied, taking the towel and wrapping it around her.

She stepped out of the shower and watched her reflection in the enormous mirror over the washbasin. She was slightly paler than usual, though her cheeks were slightly rosy from the heat in the room, and there were dark circles under her bright eyes. She sighed and pulled the bathing cap from her head, letting her long dark mane flow down her back, flipping over her shoulders some strands which had fallen over her chest. Those stupid thoughts she was having had kept her awake until the wee hours and now these were the results.

'Why? I was very sure of my decision when I said yes to him,' she asked herself as she dried her body. 'Sano... will he be having these doubts too? Maybe I should call him and...' she paused for a second. 'If I talk to him, and he feels the same way... we'll probably understand...'

She put her green bathrobe on and opened the door of the bathroom, looking both ways before going out silently. She could hear the conversation next door and kept her attention on it while she tiptoed along the corridor to the opposite direction, towards her father's study. She went in, careful not to make any noise and walked to the enormous desk covered with his patients' files and medical books. On the left side of the table he kept some portraits of the family and Megumi smiled softly, looking at every one of them. The bigger one belonged to her. She was sitting on the balustrade in the back garden with the rose bushes in full bloom behind her, dressed in jeans and a white blouse, smiling widely. On her left hand she wore a gold ring with a single diamond on it and that reminded her of why she was there. She did not have too much time until one of the people in her room came out again to look for her. After looking at the phone for a few seconds, she picked it up.

TO BE CONTINUED...


	2. Chapter 2

Hello! Here's the second chapter, sorry for the delay... Thank you to all of you who took the time to read this fanfic, and twice to the people who reviewed it and told me what they thought: Gaby (Hyatt), Cookie, Mushi-Azn, Reves, Mirune Keishiko and Christina. Your comments and compliments made me very happy. :D

Thank you very much to Maria Tolentino-Goldstein for beta-reading my fanfiction.

"..." dialogue

'...' thoughts

... telephone conversation

888 separating scenes

ooooooo flashbacks

Glossary (I know they're well known, but...):

-Megitsune: it's Sanosuke's nickname for Megumi. It's a mixture of Megumi and Kitsune, a spirit which took the appearance of a human being, usually of a woman, to trick humans. This spirit used to be a fox in its true form.

-Tori Atama: Rooster Head, it's Sano's nickname. Several characters call him that.

Before I forget... I'm not going to use Japanese suffixes or other expressions used in the series/manga (sessha, de gozaru, Ken-san...), I'm not used to them as I've never watched/read the original ones.

Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin belongs to Watsuki Nobuhiro, I just borrow his characters to free all my crazy ideas.

**__**

CHRONICLE OF A WEDDING

Chapter 2

Sanosuke woke up with a start as the phone on the bedside table started to ring. He closed his eyes and tried to ignore it, eventually it would stop. But when it did not, he groaned and groped for it until he found the receiver at the twelfth tone.

"Yeah...?" he mumbled, his voice muffled by the pillow.

Sano? Are you still sleeping?

"Oh, it's you, Kenshin." He opened an eye and looked at the alarm clock. "Did Jou-chan kick you out of the bed or something? It's only seven fifteen in the morning... You only have to apologize for whatever you did wrong last night and she'll be more than happy to-"

My private life is none of your business. You told me to call you early today. If you don't remember, you're getting married today.

All trace of drowsiness disappeared with his friend's statement. It was true that the night before, after his bachelor party he had asked Kenshin to do whatever he needed to drag him off the sheets. The last thing he wanted was to be late for his own wedding. Megumi would be mad at him forever.

"Thanks, Kenshin. Look, I didn't want to-"

It's okay, Sano. Now start getting ready or you won't make it on time. See you later.

"Bye."

He hung up and with some effort got up, sitting on the bed. Sanosuke was very grateful for having a close friend like Kenshin, though sometimes the redhead's timing was the worst thing in the world, as was on that day. He only had needed ten more minutes of sleep and his subconscious would have finished showing him a very detailed version of his wedding night. Too bad that Kenshin had called when things were getting steamy. He grinned wickedly as some scenes replayed in his mind quite vividly, but when he felt a soft pressure in his lower belly and the tingles of excitement running through his body, he shook his head and stood up, walking to the bathroom. It was no use to let his imagination free when he still had a long day ahead until he could have the real Megumi in his arms. His perverted side tried to argue his decision but his reason won at the end. He would be in great trouble if he was not ready when his family arrived to fetch him.

'It would make a great excuse,' he thought ironically.

888

His muscles rippled when the cold water touched his skin. Like any other man in the world, he had had a fair amount of fantasies with the woman he loved. However, they had been just that. Even though they had been going out for almost two years, he still could not tell why he had not given in to his impulses and made Megumi his. He had not had qualms about it with the girls who came before her, some being just one-night stands and others more serious. Maybe it had been the idea of his fiancée's father and brothers going after him, demanding explanations of why their little girl had not slept at home, or just the fact that she was special and he did not want to treat her like any other woman. Kenshin had told him once, short after he started his relationship with her that she was not one to take lightly. If he made a false move, there would be no second chance.

He turned on the tap for the hot water and relaxed. Not in a thousand years would he have thought that he would end up marrying that obnoxious girl who had answered with a smart reply to every single sentence he had spoken in their first meeting, only to end up forgotten by her seconds later when she had noticed Kenshin beside him. A small smile drew in his lips. If Megumi were there, she would have argued that he was being as scatterbrained as always, that that had not been the first time they had seen each other. She would have been right, since he was not good at remembering dates and things – he had forgotten their anniversary and had called her three days after her birthday – but that day at the seafront was deeply engraved on his mind. She had made a great impact on him, being the only female who had not shied away when their gazes had met. He even could tell she wore a white summer dress printed with purple flowers, white sandals and her long hair tied up in a braid. However, what was far more important for him was the moment their weird relation had started, their first conversation.

ooooooo

He never liked hospitals. Their smell, their whiteness, the way the people who worked there talked to their patients, their voices dripping with sweetness and kindness while their eyes betrayed their exhaustion and boredom from being there dealing with sick people. That was why, when Kaoru, who had arrived earlier than Kenshin for the dinner they were having at his house, had suggested she should take him to casualty so they could treat his hand properly, he had locked himself in the bathroom. He had been stupid enough to punch the mirror, which now reflected his face like a mosaic, bathed in blood, and he was not going to be an idiot once again by going to that nasty place.

Only three people in the world knew the reason why he hated hospitals, and one of them was being greeted at the door by Kaoru. A few seconds later that same person knocked, and he, who was sitting on the floor with his arms on his knees and the forehead resting on them, cringed.

"Go away, I'm not going there, Kenshin, and you're not going to make me."

"I just want to see that injury, Sano. Maybe we can treat it here, at home."

Kaoru opened her mouth to protest but her boyfriend put a finger on his lips asking for her silence. After a few seconds, they heard the click of the bolt and the red-haired man entered the bathroom, closing the door after him.

The anxious girl stood in the corridor, confused at what she had witnessed. She strained, trying to listen to the conversation in an attempt to understand the situation, but she only heard their muffled voices. After a long fifteen minutes, they went out and she felt relieved when Kenshin asked her to drive them to the hospital.

The trip was done in a tense silence, so thick it could be cut with a knife. Occasionally, Kaoru side-glanced at Sanosuke, who was in the passenger seat. He had his head on his hand looking out the window with an absent expression, then she would gaze at Kenshin through the mirror and receive a knowing look asking for her patience, as everything would be explained all in good time. Frustrated, she furrowed her brows and unconsciously stepped on the gas pedal harder. She hated being left out of her friends' problems, not being able to help in any way.

They arrived at the hospital and entered through the casualty door, Sanosuke dragging his feet behind them. The waiting room was almost empty and soon he was led to what the nurse had called the suture room, sitting there for less than a minute before hearing the door being opened.

"Good evening, Mr. Sagara, I'm doctor Takani."

He lifted his head from his hands to find maroon eyes watching him with a mixture of recognition and annoyance, and grinned. There, in the place he had expected the least, and weeks later after their encounter, he had met her again.

Megumi left the file on a piece of furniture and sat on the stool in front of him, putting on a pair of plastic gloves.

"Let me see your hand," she told him with a professional tone.

He extended it and she took it carefully, observing the cuts on his knuckles under the powerful light she had turned on.

"Gods, Tori Atama, what did you do to it?"

"Punched a mirror... Wait, what did you just call me?"

She smiled lightly leaving his hand on the auxiliary table and standing up to retrieve a suture kit.

"It's the first thing that comes to one's mind when seeing you and it does suit you, don't you agree?"

"Hey, it's not my fault my hair is all on end. It's been this way since I was born!"

She took a seat again and put the instruments from the kit on a tray.

"Really? And here I thought you were too lazy to comb it in the morning... You look like that type of guy, you know, carefree, cocky, lazy," she repeated the adjective to emphasize her opinion of him.

Sanosuke forgot his retort and gulped when he saw the display, and turned his head to the side, wanting to be anywhere but in that room. Megumi saw this and smiled, amused.

"What's the matter? Don't tell me you're afraid of a small needle..." He mumbled something she could not understand. "Sorry? I didn't hear you."

"I said I don't like hospitals!"

"And why is that?" she asked, curiosity taking the best of her.

"It's not your business. Now finish quickly so I can get out of here once and for all."

She was going to make a remark about how childish he was, but no words came out of her mouth. Something in his eyes had told her it was not a phobia he had not gotten over, but a fear deeply rooted inside him, and her idea of making him suffer for his behaviour the day they met – just a little as she was a doctor above all – was replaced by a guilty nagging at the back of her head and the wish to soothe his fears, as her father had taught her.

'Megumi, we not only have to treat physical wounds, but also take care of our patient's spirit. When they come to us, they're afraid, and we must do everything in our hands to keep the peace of their souls. It's the only way to ease both, the suffering of the body and the mind.'

Sometimes, the girl thought he did not need to become so philosophical to explain something, but she had to admit that he was always right. She was his doctor now and she had to forget the reasons why he irked her.

She took some gauze soaked in antiseptic and cleaned the skin of blood with feather touches, seeing his jaw tighten when she dabbed at the damaged area. Then, she brought a magnifying glass over his hand and watched through it for a moment.

"There are some pieces of glass in the cuts," she informed him, trying to sound friendly. "I have to take them out..."

He did not say anything so she took the tweezers and started to work. Some fragments were so small that it was easy to lose them from sight with each movement and sometimes she had to carefully separate the ligaments to reach them. After some minutes, she finished and took the needle and thread. Without a word she started to stitch the biggest wound with precise movements.

Sanosuke, who had tried to keep his composure up to that moment, side-glanced at her, taking in her serious expression, her focused eyes and her diligent fingers. He knew she was trying to make him feel comfortable and for once, a doctor looked sincere to him and he was grateful for it. Her pale skin glowed under the light framed by the black, silky curtain of her hair and her small, red lips were slightly parted in the middle. Without the defiant look and the I-know-it-all smile, she did not seem so annoying, she even was... beautiful. He furrowed, hearing his thoughts. Every time his brain said that adjective referring to a girl, his instincts kicked into action to charm her. However, in no way was he going to flirt with that... that Fox. He grinned inwardly upon coming up with a perfect name for her that would teach her to call him Tori Atama.

Her hands caught his attention again as she reached for the scissors to cut the thread. For a moment she considered if any of the other injuries needed to be closed, but she put everything down and took some bandages. She rolled them up and down while holding his hand with one of hers. A voice at the back of his head protested against the sticky, rough touch of the plastic glove on his skin, but he ignored it. She was finishing and that was all that mattered.

"It's done," she broke the silence putting a bit of plaster closing the dressing and both of them stood up. "Try not to pick things up with it, or to flex it too much. I'll give you a prescription for some antibiotics to prevent an infection." She took the jotter from her pocket and wrote something before tearing out the note and handing it to him. "Come back in a week to have the stitches removed, or before if something goes wrong."

"Are you going to treat me?"

Her eyes glinted and a smile slowly spread across her mouth while she turned off the lamp. The truce had ended.

"Why, do you want me to do it?"

Sanosuke looked her up and down and she caught his action when she turned.

"Maybe, if there isn't any pretty lady doctor around," he replied repeating his examination, this time of her front.

"Stop ogling me. Don't you have any shame? I'm your doctor," she reproached, frowning.

He put his sound hand in one of his pockets and clicked his tongue.

"What do you mean stop ogling you, Megitsune? You don't have anything to ogle!" he laughed lightly and turned towards the door.

'With that coat on, you mean,' remarked a little voice in his brain.

"What was that?" she said narrowing her eyes.

"It's a nice petname, don't you think?" he flashed her a smile mimicking her when she had called him Tori Atama.

They kept on bickering all the way to the waiting room, attracting more than one look from the people who passed them by. When they arrived, Kenshin and Kaoru got up from their seats and approached them. When Sanosuke tilted his head to them and saw the girl's sympathetic glance, he knew that he had told her everything.

'That makes four people... I hope nobody else will know...'

"Thank you for everything, doctor." He heard the polite redhead tell the woman beside him.

"It was nothing. Excuse me but..." There was a hint of uncertainty in her voice. "Are you Himura Kenshin?"

The question brought back his attention to the conversation and saw the puzzled looks in his friends before he nodded. A lovely, wide smile drew in Megumi's lips."

"Don't you remember me? I'm Takani Megumi, we were in the same class at high school."

His eyes shone in recognition and he grinned.

"Of course. I was thinking you were familiar but... I'm sorry, I'm pretty bad at recalling faces..."

"Don't worry, Kenshin, I know that..."

Sanosuke watched the suspicion appear in Kaoru's face when she heard the familiarity that woman used with her boyfriend.

"Excuse me, doctor Takani," a nurse appeared at the door interrupting their conversation. "Doctor Genzai needs your assistance."

"I'm going." She turned to the group. "Duty is calling... Please, Kenshin, write down your number, we can arrange to meet someday soon. Some of the group still keep in touch, like Yumi, Kamatari and Soujiro. They'll be very happy to see you again." She handed him a piece of paper she had been scribbling on and took his. "Here, have mine. I'll call you in a couple of days. Bye!"

And she disappeared in a blur of white and black. Still smiling, Kenshin put the note in his shirt pocket, unaware of the vein popping on Kaoru's head. The taller man sighed, knowing the trip back home would be really long.

ooooooo

Sanosuke got up from the bed, buttoned his black trousers and returned to the bathroom. That night his two friends had had the worst fight in the history of Japan. Well, the argument had consisted of Kaoru ranting about how absurd he was with the female doctor and Kenshin trying to convince her that Megumi was just an old classmate. They made up when the girl pushed him so hard that her boyfriend hit the wall, and with the impact a picture fell on his head. She had hurried to his side wailing that she had killed him and, soon after, they were in each other arms under the bored look of Sanosuke, who had witnessed the whole episode while sipping his beer.

He sighed, annoyed as he combed his hair which, seconds later, was standing up again, and at the third time he stopped trying. He bent forward slightly and looked at his reflection in the mirror before smiling. He knew he was ready for marriage despite some of his friends thoughts that it was too soon for him to tie the knot. He loved Megumi deeply and that was reason enough to do it. Then, he went back to the bedroom and put on a light blue shirt, eyeing warily the necktie that lay on the bed in front of him. He was about to take it when the entry phone buzzed and he cursed under his breath while he went to attend to it. His family had arrived.

TO BE CONTINUED...


End file.
